This invention relates generally to snow sleds which are simple and inexpensive to manufacture. More particularly this invention relates to a collapsible or folding snow sled made substantially of steel tubing and which has a single steerable front runner. The sled is light weight, very strong and may be used as either a sporting sled for carrying one or more persons in the sport of downhill sledding, or the sled may be used as a folding sled suitable for hunting, carrying equipment and the like.
An investigation of the available references relating to the field of sleds revealed no prior art that is significantly relevant to this invention. One reference, U.S. Pat. No. 3,504,924 issued to D. J. Nesbit on Apr. 7, 1970, discloses a telescoping collapsible sled having a pair of rear parallel skis as runners, a frame mounted on the rear skis, a front pivotted ski for steering, and a front frame telescopicably secured to the rear frame. A folding bed is adapted so that several load positions may be selected. The sled described in the Nesbit patent is not a simple and inexpensively manufactured item. Use of skis as runners, and the use of a telescoping frame for collapsing results in a complicated device. The sled of the present invention results in a device much simpler and easier and less expensive to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,209 issued to B. Fischer on Jan. 23, 1968, discloses a collapsible sled having two substantially endless and longitudinally extending frame members which are connected to each other at their ends by pivot joints, a fabric or pliable seat member connects to adjacent frame members to provide a support member when the sled is in the unfolded position. Although this sled may be very simple and lightweight, it would be substantially suitable only for emergency use, as it has no steering ability.
Another portable sled is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,673,744 issued to V. G. Johnson on Mar. 30, 1954. The sled described in this patent, has as a primary purpose use as a survival sled or as a hunting sled used for bringing game out of the hunting area to a road for vehicular transportation. The sled comprises two pieces which are pivotted and which folds upon itself. Crossmembers serve both as support bars for carrying a load and as a structure to maintain the runners in the proper location. Apertures in the crossmembers may be used for tying down the game or the load. Although this sled may be highly successful for use as a hunting or survival sled, it is not steerable, and is not useful as a sporting or downhill sledding device. Furthermore, the front and back sections of this foldable sled have two runners unlike the sled of the present invention which has a single runner for the front portion of the sled.
Still another example of a downhill sporting sled is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,450,424 issued to C. S. Beebe on Apr. 3, 1923. This sled has the appearance of a typical childs toy or sporting sled with two main runners except it also includes a short center pivotting runner at the front of the sled which is used for steering.
Other examples of sleds which had been studied, but found to be even less applicable than the sleds discussed above are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,180,652 issued on Apr. 27, 1965 to E. A. I. Johansson; U.S. Pat. No. 1,212,212 issued to D. Y. Hallock on Jan. 16, 1917, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,066,445 issued to O. L. Beardsley on Jul. 1, 1913.